Conventional video sources, for example video cassette recorders (VCRs), commonly have luminance (Y) components mistimed with chrominance (C) components. The resulting non-coincidence of vertical edges in the video images leads to an overall lack of clarity and the vertical edges are smeared. A number of conventional video decoders offer a YC delay control that allows the user to vary the comparative delay. However, a problem with the manual control method is that the user needs to know the delay to be able to compensate for the delay, rendering the control ineffective. The manual adjustments are very difficult to do ‘by eye’, especially for an unskilled user. The manual adjustments are also best performed with specific video test patterns not readily available to the common user. Furthermore, the delay can vary in time, especially for mechanical mechanisms such as VCRs.